Making Acquaintances
by Miss Mysty
Summary: Three-shot. The Emerald editors go out for dinner and drinks, and Kisa is horrified to find out that Takano had met Yukina at Marimo and invited him along. But should he really worry this much, or is he just over-thinking again?
1. Chapter 1

Part 1

Kisa Shouta had a predicament on his hands.

It happened to be that Takano-san had gone in to Marimo one night after work and gotten to talking with Yukina. This in itself wasn't a bad thing, Kisa supposed, because Yukina was one of the top sellers of Emerald's tankobon in the district. Kisa was honestly surprised that his boss hadn't met Yukina earlier, to tell the truth.

No, the problem came with the fact that Takano-san thought it appropriate to invite Yukina out for drinks with the rest of the department. Kisa only found out about this when there was a bit of time left at the end of the first Friday of the cycle.

"We're going out with one of the clerks from the shoujo section at Marimo," Takano said after he had made it clear that the 'invitation' to dinner and drinks wasn't going to be optional. "He's one of our best sellers and we need to do some schmoozing."

The way Takano said 'schmoozing' sent a chill up Kisa's spine. He may very well have said it the same way he said anything else, but when Kisa realized just who the 'clerk from Marimo' was, he knew he was going to have a hell of a night. Instead of complaining, though, or even going back to work, he took his phone out and sent a message to Yukina.

_Why didn't you tell me Takano-san invited you out with us tonight?_

The reply came not even a minute later, despite that Yukina was supposed to be finishing a shift just as Kisa finished at Marukawa.

_Well, I didn't see you last night. You don't mind, do you?_

Kisa sighed.

_Would it matter if I did?_

_Of course it would, Kisa-san. I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable._

_You do that on a daily basis anyway, dork._

_I'm sorry, Kisa-san!_

_Whatever. I'll see you after work._

Yukina sent Kisa back a text message, but Kisa didn't bother checking it. He tried to do some paperwork, but when the phone buzzed and Kisa looked across the room instead of at it, he noticed that Takano was giving him an odd look. He smiled sweetly over at his boss before sighing and slumping back in his chair.

There were a few things wrong with this scenario: the fact that Yukina probably wouldn't bother hiding the fact that they already knew each other was one. Kisa was far from ashamed about his sexuality, but there was something different about the men he saw almost every day finding out that he was dating a man. Then there was the fact that he'd never really been out with Yukina like that. He, of course, hardly had any dates with Yukina at all, but that was beside the point. He'd never gotten drunk at one of the outings he'd had with the Emerald men, but he didn't know what Yukina's alcohol tolerance was and he was afraid to find out.

Then, of course, was the fact that they'd never talked much about Kisa's work. Kisa knew all about Yukina's, and Yukina knew about his to an extent. But there were certain quirks that Yukina didn't know, like that Takano was a bastard who like to make fun of everyone, or that half the department secretly thought Mino was a psychopath, or that Kisa was the adorable moe stereotype of the editing department.

One of the overly-pink clocks they had hanging on the walls of the department ticked to six o'clock, and Kisa glanced up at it, realizing that they were allowed to leave now. Takano was already packing up, saying something about how they'd meet their other companion for the evening at the restaurant they were going to. Ritsu scrambled to get his work done before Takano yelled at him about getting a move on so that people didn't have to wait for his lazy ass. Hatori was packing up himself, and Mino was already ready to go, because no one really questioned Mino and his actions.

Once they were all ready, Takano muttered something about the subway route that would be easiest to take, since it was rush hour on a Friday. Ritsu said something about how Takano should've just taken his car to work if he was going to force them all to go out to eat together, and Takano rebutted with, "Gas is damn expensive in Tokyo, Onodera. Unless you're willing to pay for it."

"I'm not going to pay for gas for you to use in _your_ car!" Ritsu said indignantly as they and Mino got into an elevator. Kisa and Hatori ended up taking the one beside it since the elevator car already had members of other departments and was therefore too crowded for the entire editing team.

Just as the doors on the other elevator closed, Kisa could hear Takano saying, "Why not? I drive your ass around enough in it."

The elevator was quiet as it went down to the ground floor. Hatori was preoccupied with his phone, sending a text and then staring at it as he waited for a reply. Kisa simply leaned against the wall of the elevator, listening to the beep as they hit the floor below them and kept descending. Kisa found himself clutching the handrail as he thought about all the ways the evening could go, and none of them were entirely pleasant for him. He could end up drinking too much and getting drunk. It wasn't probable, but it was a possibility. He had found that he was an overly-affectionate drunk; he'd gone out drinking with Ritsu once and had ended up sitting beside the man in their booth at the izakaya and nuzzling against him while mumbling about how cute he was.

And then there was the possible awkward silence when they found out he knew Yukina and asked how he knew him. Yukina had no shame, but, Kisa supposed, he knew when Kisa didn't want him to do something and wouldn't push the issue. They could just assume that Kisa knew Yukina the same way Takano did: he went into Marimo and talked to him, finding out how well he did in selling Emerald's title.

As he pondered all of this, he suddenly realized that Hatori was looking at him, and had possibly said something. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked, an apologetic smile on his face.

"I said I can _feel_ you thinking, Kisa," Hatori said in a low voice.

Kisa laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry about that, Hatori-san! I really need to stop thinking."

Hatori didn't push the issue, and Kisa let out a breath before adjusting his bag and taking out his phone. He might as well check the text message Yukina had sent while they still had one more floor to go.

_I love you, Kisa-san._

When Kisa left the elevator, he ignored Takano's amused, "Why the hell are you blushing, Kisa?"


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

It was dark by the time the members of the Emerald editing department got to the restaurant Takano had reserved for them that evening. Just as Kisa had been dreading, Yukina was standing out there, waiting for them. Of course he was there before they were; he was punctual to the point of annoyance, because it made Kisa feel guilty when he was late to meeting him because of work or sleeping-in.

Kisa may have been the first to spot him, but he let Takano do introductions. "Guys, this is Yukina Kou, from the shoujo department of Marimo. You may already know him."

Yukina smiled and bowed. "Well, Kisa-san and I already know each other," he said. When he saw the look on Kisa's face, he added, "That is, Yokozawa-san introduced us a while back." The introductions went normally after that, but as they all headed into the restaurant, Takano was eying Kisa like he suspected something. Takano had always been the observant kind, though, at least as far as Kisa could tell. It just gave him more things to hold over his underlings' heads when it came time to get them to work.

Yukina ended up sitting between Ritsu and Takano, because Ritsu refused to sit next to his boss and Kisa wasn't going to insist he sit beside him. They did end up across from each other, though. Luckily for Kisa, the smiles that Yukina sent his way seemed to be seen by his coworkers as simply being friendly.

Even though Takano had been the one to invite Yukina out and say they needed to make nice, he ended up hardly talking to him at all. Ritsu, on the other hand, seemed to feel compelled to.

"So how old are you, Yukina-san?" he asked with a smile once they had all ordered.

"Ah, I'm twenty-one. I'm still in college."

"Really? Where?"

"T University for the Arts," Yukina said, glancing at the mug of beer Takano had ordered for him. He'd ordered alcohol for everyone, actually, but Yukina wasn't touching his. If Kisa had wanted to reveal his connection to Yukina early, he would have told Takano that Yukina really didn't drink. He couldn't recall a time in which he'd been drinking and Yukina had also partaken. "I major in oil painting. I hope I can live off my paintings one day."

"Oh, that's nice," Ritsu said with a genuine smile on his face. "I don't know much about painting, though…"

"You don't draw, Onodera-san?" Yukina asked. When Ritsu shook his head, he went on. "I would have thought you would, because of your job and all."

"Well…" Ritsu shrugged, picking up his mug of beer. Kisa knew from stories from Takano that he was a bad drunk, so he was hoping he wouldn't drink more than that. "I worked with literature first, and they kind of… threw me in here. I can apply screen tones and things like that, but drawing was never something I got into."

"Ah, Kisa-san told me about that," he said. When Ritsu glanced between them, he added, "Ah, we… talk, sometimes. You know, dinner."

Kisa sighed in relief and leaned back in his chair. Yukina really was trying hard to not let them know about their relationship, but it wasn't working. Yukina was a pretty horrible actor. However, it seemed to be enough for Ritsu, because he turned to Takano-san and jumped into a conversation about his living conditions. Apparently, Ritsu's apartment was extremely messy, and Takano didn't approve.

"Are you all right, Kisa-san?" Yukina asked. He was looking at Kisa with concern, and Kisa sighed and shook his head. "If you're not feeling well, I can bring you home…"

"No, just…" He glanced at his coworkers. None of them were paying attention to him. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

It wasn't until he'd gotten to the bathroom and was leaning over the sink that he realized Yukina had followed him. He jumped in surprise when he saw the man enter as he looked up at the mirror. "Yukina, this is a one-person bathroom…"

"I know, Kisa-san," he said. He pushed the door closed, but it was left open just slightly, not that he noticed. Then he walked over and wrapped his arms around Kisa from behind. "Are you sure you're all right, Kisa-san?"

"I am!" Kisa said, trying to push Yukina away and failing. Then he ducked his head. "None of my coworkers know I'm gay."

Yukina tightened his grip around Kisa's body, and it just made Kisa's heart go faster. "You don't have to tell them about us if you don't want to, Kisa-san," he said. "But… I thought that kind of thing didn't matter to you…"

"It doesn't!" Kisa turned around to face Yukina, and he gulped when he realized just how close they were. "I just… feel weird about it…"

"About being with me?" Yukina was trying to hide his emotions, but Kisa caught the hurt look in his eyes.

"Ngh." Kisa shook his head, thinking how unfair it was that Yukina could so easily manipulate him. "Not being with you. Just… I don't just randomly tell someone I'm gay. Is all."

Yukina smiled and leaned down, capturing Kisa's lips. "It's all right, Kisa-san," he said. "You don't have to tell them if you don't want to. We can just have a nice dinner and go home."

Kisa sighed into the kiss, smiling despite himself. Yukina hadn't moved in with him, but he still referred to Kisa's apartment as home. He supposed it was another one of those things that he did without thinking. He did a lot of things without thinking that made Kisa blush and wonder what he did to deserve such a man. Not that he'd ever say that out loud.

Just as Yukina was deepening the kiss, poking his tongue out to push past Kisa's lips, the door opened. By that point, Yukina had his arms wrapped around Kisa's waist and Kisa had his arms wrapped around Yukina's shoulders.

"Sorry I didn't realize-" It was Ritsu, and when he actually looked in at what he's interrupted, he went pale. "I-I'll just leave you to this…" The door closed properly this time, and Kisa went pale.

"Kisa-san? Are you all right?" Yukina asked, not bothered in the least at having been caught.

All Kisa could do was shake his head.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kisa wasn't sure if he'd be able to look Ritsu in the eye again. The younger man himself was mortified, probably both at walking into the bathroom while it was being used and what he'd walked in on. Then again, it was easy to embarrass Ritsu, and even easier to get him to not say a thing. One look between them when Kisa finally got back to the table made Ritsu clamp his mouth shut and blush like he was seeing the scene all over again.

"What's wrong with you, Onodera?" Takano asked, eyeing Ritsu. Ritsu just shook his head rapidly and grabbed his beer. Kisa silently agreed that drinking was a good idea.

Of course, it turned out to not be such a good idea to get drunk with your coworkers, at least when you were Kisa and had your boyfriend right there with you. Kisa ended up clinging to Yukina, complaining about this and that.

"Kisa-san, I think you've had enough to drink," Yukina said. Hatori and Takano were already up, having collected money from everyone to split the bill. Not a single person had questioned why Kisa decided to cling to the man who he supposedly only knew casually, and in Kisa's drunken haze, he didn't even think to be embarrassed.

"I don't wanna go home," Kisa whined as Yukina stood up, still clinging to him. By then, Hatori and Mino had both left, and Takano and Ritsu were outside, arguing about whether Ritsu needed a ride. The trains were still running, Ritsu kept arguing, and there was no way he was going home with Takano.

Yukina smiled slightly and ran a hand through Kisa's hair. "Come on, Kisa-san. I'll stay with you tonight."

"…fine." Kisa yawned and let go of Yukina as they headed for the door. He glanced over to see Takano was finally gone, and Ritsu was just standing there, fiddling with the buttons on his jacket and looking around like he wasn't sure what to do with himself.

"Ricchaaaaaan," Kisa said as he stumbled a little, and Yukina helped to keep him on his feet. "Why don't you go home with Takano-san? He's nice."

Ritsu frowned and took in the scene. It looked like he was dying to say something. Instead, he shook his head and started down the sidewalk. Of course, Kisa wasn't going to leave him alone. He pulled Yukina along, while Yukina just looked incredibly amused.

"I'm going back to my own apartment, Kisa-san," Ritsu said as they reached the nearby subway stop.

"Aw, why?" Kisa giggled.

Ritsu didn't say anything, but he was nice enough to get the tickets for Kisa and Yukina after Yukina told him what their stop was. The train was there soon after, and Ritsu looked relieved to see that it was mostly empty.

Kisa, for his part, fell asleep against Yukina's shoulder as soon as they were all sitting down.

"Uh, I just wanted to apologize for earlier, Yukina-san," Ritsu said, blushing a little and staring down at his hands. They were folded in his lap, but he kept wringing them like he'd have a nervous breakdown any time now. When Yukina looked confused, Ritsu went on, "You know, for the bathroom and walking in on you."

"Ah," Yukina said. He had an arm wrapped around Kisa, taking advantage of his drunken, sleeping state to have a little PDA. Kisa certainly wouldn't allow such a thing if he were awake and in his right mind. He just kept his eyes forward, following the tunnel lights as they zoomed by. "It's no problem, Onodera-san. I think… knowing you don't care would make Kisa-san feel more comfortable."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, apparently Kisa-san has known he liked men his whole life. But… our relationship has been complicated. He doesn't like to hug or kiss in public, and he was terrified when he found out Takano-san had invited me tonight. He didn't want any of you to know about us." He smiled slightly. He didn't hold it against Kisa; after all, this was the first real relationship the man had had, and it was understandable that he'd worry what others might think, given the circumstances.

There was silence between them for a while, until Ritsu turned and looked at Yukina, a slight smile on his face. "Kisa-san's been a good friend to me, even if he does get carried away sometimes… and even if we were just coworkers, I don't think I'd care. It's not like I can talk, anyway…" He stared down at his lap again, but his hands were still.

"Ah, you and Takano-san?"

Ritsu's entire face lit up, and he started stuttering. "N-no! There's nothing going on between us, he just likes teasing me!" He hugged and looked to the side, where a girl in ganguro makeup was listening to an iPod. She was half asleep and didn't even notice him. He pressed his lips together, hoping that would prevent more verbal diarrhea.

A soft voice came over the intercom. "Now reaching Ikebokuro. Ikebokuro. The left door will open."

Yukina smiled slightly. "Well… I was going to bring Kisa-san back to his place, but since this is on the way… maybe I should…" The train stopped, and Yukina hoisted Kisa up on his back. Kisa muttered in his sleep and nuzzled his face into Yukina's back. "It was nice seeing you, Onodera-san."

"Yeah, you too." Ritsu gave a friendly smile, adjusting the strap on his bag. Just as Yukina got to the doors, he added, "Um, I do go into Marimo a lot so… maybe we could talk again."

Yukina glanced back, then smiled down at Kisa as the man clung to him tighter. "Yeah, of course." He stepped onto the platform and the doors closed. He watched as the train swept Ritsu away, then sighed and hiked Kisa up further on his back.

As they reached the street, Kisa cracked his eyes open and yawned. "I want dorayaki."

Yukina chuckled and just kept going.


End file.
